"Picnic At Lac Du Sang" - читать интересную книгу автора (Masterton Graham)

Vincent gave an awkward shrug. 'I just wanted to see Catherine, that's
all. Well, I wanted to see you, too.'
'You'd better come in, then,' she said, as another deafening burst of
thunder shook the roof of the house.
Vincent followed her inside. 'I'm worried about Catherine, if you must
know. I haven't been able to get her off my mind.'
'You're not the first.'
'It's just that it isn't right, a pregnant girl having unprotected sex
with strange men. Think of the infections she could pick up. Think of the
baby.'
'You had sex with her.'
'Yes, I did. And I feel more guilty about it than I can possibly tell
you.'
'So what do you propose to do?'
'I propose to make you an offer. Let me take Catherine away from here so
that she can have her baby someplace quiet and comfortable, with a decent
clinic nearby. I'll make sure you're not out of pocket. If you work out
her potential earnings for, say, the next six months, I'll pay you in
advance.'
Mme Leduc took him through to the living-room. The blinds were still drawn
tight and it was so gloomy that he could barely see her. 'Why don't you
sit down?' she asked him. 'Would you like some tea, or a glass of wine?'
'No, no thank you. I just want to hear you say that Catherine can come
with me.'
Mme Leduc stood facing the mirror over the fireplace, so that Vincent
could see only her dim reflection. 'I'm afraid that's impossible, Vincent.
None of us can leave this house, ever.'
'Why the hell not? What happens when the girls get older, and lose their
looks? You can't run a cathouse with a collection of senior citizens, can
you?'
Mme Leduc was silent for a long time. Then she said, 'If I tell you why
Catherine can't leave, will you promise me that you'll leave here, and
never come back, and forget all about her?'
'How can I make a promise like that?'
'It's for her own good, that's why.'
'Well, I don't know. I'll think about it, okay? That's as far as I'm
prepared to go.'
'Very well,' said Mme Leduc. 'I suppose that'll have to do.' She turned
around and came toward him, standing so close that he could have lifted
his hand and touched her face. 'A long time ago, in the 1920s, this used
to be a school, an academy for young girls.'
'I saw the notice-board in the corridor. St Agathe's, right?'
'That's right. It was quite a famous school, and diplomats and wealthy
businessmen used to send their daughters here during the summer to learn
cookery and dressmaking and riding and all the social skills.'
'I see. Kind of a finishing school.'
Mme Leduc nodded. 'One July day, in 1924, some of the girls were taken by
their teacher to Lac du Sang, for a picnic. Lac du Sang is a local beauty
spot, and very beautiful it is, too. They call it Lac du Sang because it's
surrounded by maples, and in the fall, when the leaves turn red, the lake